Electric indicator.



F. J. BURNS & W. L. ANDRE. ELECTRIC INDICATOR.

APPLIGATION FILED JAN.21, 1910. Patented Apr. 15,1

WITNESSES ATTORNEYS COLUMNA PLANOGRAPH CO., WASHINGTON, D. C

F. J. BURNS & W. L. ANDRE.

ELECTRIC INDICATOR.

www u A 1m Patented Apr 15 1913 4 sums-mm 2.

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ATTORNEYS aLUMmA FLANnduAl'll Cu., wAslllNuTnN. D. c.

. L. ANDRE.

F. J. BURNS & W

ELECTRIC INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.21.191.

' Patented Apr. 15,1913.

WIT/VESSEL? ATTO/Mi YS F. J. BURNS & W. L. ANDRE.

ELECTRIC INDICATOR.

APPLICATION IILBD JANJal. 1910.

Patented Apr. 15, 1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

WITNESSES ATTRNEYS coLUMnIA PLANOGHAPN Co..WAs\|1Nn1oN. ILC.

-the figures.

FRANCIS JOSEPH BURNS `.AND WALTERXLEWIS ANDRE, 0F SPOKANE, WASHIN'GrIlOIT.`

` "nnnc'rnrc rnmcAToR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Applicationiled January 21, `1910. Serial No. 539,298.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, FRANCIS J BURNS and "WALTER L. ANDRE, both citizensof the United States, and residents of Spokane, in the county of Spokane and State ofVashington, have invented a new and Improved Electric Indicator, of which the following a full, clear, and exact description.

Our invention relates 'to electric indicators of the kind employed more particularly for indicating the designations of streets andthe like, our purpose `beinglto produce an indieator which is operated `automatically by movements of a car or other piece of` rolling stock and provided `with means for `indicating the streets in reverseiorder incase the car or other piece of rolling stockhappens to run backward during` a trip.

Our invention further contemplates various mechanical and electrical details whereby the general efficiency of the indicating mechanism is greatly increased.`

Reference is to `be had to the .accompany` ingdrawings forming a `part of this specification, in' which similar characters of reference indicate `corresponding parts in` all `l `igure 1 is a perspective of the casingcarried upon the car and containing many parts used in connection with our invention; Fig.` 2 is a fragmentary perspective showing most o-f the mechanism carried in the casing just mentioned; Fig.` 3 is a `fragmentary vertical section through the casingat one of'its ends, and showing the rollers carrying the display curtain, and yalsoshowing parts associated with these rollers; Figull is a side elevation showing our improved form of contact lever carried as an auxiliary upon the trolley pole, for the purpose of periodically closingthe circuit; Fig, 5 is a substantially vertical section through the mechanism shown in Fig. 4, on theiline 5--5 of Fig. il; Figp is a perspective of the trolley wheel and contact mechanism associated with it; Fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspective showing the contact levercarried upon an arm of the trolley pole; and Fig. S is a diagram of the wiring.

Most of the movable parts of the indieating `mechanism are carried within a casing Y8.` This casing` is provided (see Figs. 2, 3) with two verticalpartitions 9 and 9a, which are spaced a little apart from the ends of the casing, as will. bei understood from Fig.` 3. Located within the casing 8 are rollers 10, 11 carrying a curtain 12 which is partially wound upon them and is adapt `ed to be shifted step by step from one roller to the other, as will be `understood. from Fig. `2; The curtain 12 is provided withthe names` of the streets, as indicated in Fig. 2, and thecasing 8 is provided witha slot 8` (see Fig. 1) through which the names of the streets may be read by the passengers inthe car. V

As the curtain 12 is shifted step by step,

the various `successive street names A are y Patented Apr. 15,1913.`

turning` `movement communicated to either j roller 10, 11 is transmitted through the belt 21` to the other roller, thereby rendering` positive `the rotation of the rollers.` Encircling the shafts 13, 14 are spiral springs 1718,for the purpose of keeping -the pulleys 19,20 in proper alinement-that is, in the same plane. y The pulleys areso formed and arranged asto regulate the iinrolling and takingup of the curtain 12.

For instance, it might happenthat a large quantity of the curtain rolled upon the upper roller and very littloof the curtain upon the lower roller, and the rollersin turn might` begin to take up the curtain disposed therebetween. This would causethe` lower roller to turn more rapidly than would be commensurate with the rate of rotation of the other roller. This difficulty is compensated by allowing a little` slip between the pulleys and the belt connecting` them. The curtain 12 passes over guide rollers 22, 23. Adjacent to the guide roller` 23 is Vanother guide roller 24 which `is provided witlnpresser rings 25 made preferably of rubber. These presser rings eugageithe outside of the curtain 12 and hold it closely against the guide roller 23. The guide roller 22 is mounted rigidly upon a shaft 26, and a pinion 27 is also mounted rigidly upon this shaft, a gear 2S meshing with this pinion.

thereby stretching thespring 38. The sole IU C A lever 31 is provided witha slot 32 which encircles the shaft 30, as shownat the right of Fig.` 2.` At the opposite side of the ma-A chine a similar lever 33 is provided with. a

z; slot 34 which encircles a shaft 34a, the latter binglin its action substantially similar to the shaft 30. The lever 31 is, .by aid of a pivot pin 36, connected with an arinaturer37 made of soft iron and having generally a if cylindrical form. The lever is connected by a pin 35 with another armature 51 as hereinafter described, Vthis armature being' substantially similar tothe armature 37. Connected withthe armature 37 isa spiral spring 38, whereby it is supported." A."

solenoid 39 co-acts with the armature 37 Aand isladapted to draw the same downwardly',

, is turned forwardthe pawls not interfering withxthisaction. vFor instance, after the ar-v mature 37 has been drawn upwardly the pawl 31a is disengaged so that the shaft 30 may,under proper conditions, be turned by 'l aid of the belt 12. in the opposite direction from that in which it last rotated.,

A'guide roller 41 is provided with presser rings -42 for engaging the outer surface of the curtain 12, this guide rollery41 being `similar to the guideroller 24 at the bottom vof the casing and being mounted upon a revolubleshaft 43. The guide roller 23, together withl a pinion 44, is mounted rigidly upon a revoluble shaft 45. The pinion 44 meshes with a gear wheel 46, this gear wheel, together 4with ak ratchet wheelv 47, being mounted rigidly upon a revoluble shaft 50. The lever 33 turns the ratchet wheel 47 step by'step in the same manner that the lever 31,

jwith its pawl 31a turns the ratchet wheel 29.

Aisolenoid 39a, quite similar to the sole-l noid 39, is located adjacent tothe gear wheel 46 and isA providedwith a movablearmature 51 iwhichis `connected with the lever'48 in "the same manner thatthe armature 37 is connected with the lever 31.

y In fact, the so'lenoids, their armatures, and the levers for operating them, are duplicated at opposite ends of the casing., This ywill be understood from Fig.'2, although it is not deemed necessary to repeat at the left of Fig. 2 all of the parts shown at the right thereof. Whenever the solenoid 39 is energized it draws the arto make a downward stroke.

mature 37 downward and causes the lever 31 The armature A6() which thus support the 'yoke 56 Vand parpawl 32 to engage the ratchet wheel 29 and turn this wheel stepby step, cause the curtain 12 to move stepby step in `order to display the several names ofthe streets. immediate effect of the step by step rotation The of the ratchet wheel 29 is to cause the shaft 30, wheel 29, pinion 27v and roller 22 tojturn step byI step, thereby pulling the curtain 12 out from the roller 10. Since this turnsthe roller 10,.it necessarily turns the pulley 19 (see Figp3) and in doingthis transmits a rotary motion throughthe belt 21 and pulley 2O4 tothe rollerll.k The rollers 10, 11 are 4thus turned positively.` i

At 52 (see Fig. 6) isa trolley pole which is carried uponthecar. This trolley pole is.` not shown inffull, for the reasonv thatA for the most part it may be ofthe conventional or any preferred type. per end yof the trolley'pole is a trolley fork 53 carrying a trolley wheel 54. The trolley wire is shown at 55 and engaging it is a yoke Mounted upon the ,up`

56 which is provided `withears 57, 58, and

connected with these ears 'are spa-n wires 59,

tially support `the trolley wire l 55..` The v a Contact plate 61 which is substantially pari allel with vthe trolley wire 55 andr is at all times in metallicy communication therewith.

.A n arm 62 `is mounted rigidly upon the' trolley pole 52 and extends upwardly and outwardly therefrom, as indicated in Fig. 6.

.outer and'l'ower end oftheyoke 56carries c ioc The arm 62 carries a ,disk 63 provided with a cap 62a, these twoI parts constituting practically a light casing.; Extending throughi.

the arm 62 `(see isa pin 64, the latter being provided just inside of thefc'over y 62a with ahead 65. A. spiralspringj66 en` circles the pin 64 land engages the head-65. Journaled upon the pin 64 is an arm 67, this arm being provided with, a sectorI 63 carrying a boss 69. The disk 63 is provided with two slots 70, 71 of arcuate form and so rdispose-d that the boss 69 maylodge-'inyeither of said slots. By turning the arm 67 in one direction, the boss 69 lodges in the slot 70 and by turning the arm 67 in the opposite direction the boss 69 lodges rrin the slot y7l; The arm67 is thus held in-either one of two proximate positions ,and yet is allowed some i little degree of play when in such position, owing to the fact that the'boss 69 can notleave its slot 70 or 71 too easily.

The arm 67 is provided upon lits opposite edges with twocontact stri s 72, 73, theilatter carryingcontact pins ,4, '75. Mountedu lio n upon the disk 63 are two Contact strips 76,

`strips 76a, 77;" of insulating material.` A`

`binding post 7 9 is mounted uponthe contact i strip 77 ,and a `similarbinding `post 80 is? mounted upon the contact strip` `76.` Con-f nected ,with these binding `posts are twog wires 8l, 82 properly insulated and twisted, together so asito form a cable, as will' bei understood from Fig.` 6. This cable is held upon the arm (32 by fastenings 83 and extends :through a hole 84` into the i trolley .pole `52 which is generally of tubular formi Mounted upon the low-er side Vof the casing 8 is a switch 83 controllable by aid of i a thumb piece l84:. Thisswitchcontains essentially a couple'of three-way switches `85 86 which may `loe `of ordinary const1'uction,.; these switches i beingi together` controllable as a nuit by merely turning the thumb piece Sii. The switch `Sis provided with a movable arm 87 4and avithffan. insulated stem 88 upon which this arm is journaled. i. It is further providedilwith Contact buttons 89, 90, 90a. The switchiSG is provided with a movable arm 91., a` central insulated stem` 92, and contact `buttons 93, 94, 94. `A wire 95 is connected with the' contact button 90` andy a wire 96 is connected lwith the contact butto-n.89 and with the wire 82. Awire 97 is` connected with the wires 96 and 82, and also with thecontact button 1.94. A `wire 98 leads from the binding., post 9411a to the solenoid 39 and a wire `99 is' connected with the wires 81, 95 and alsoiwith the Contact button 93. A `wire 100 is connected .with the contact button 90El and with `the solenoid 39a. Vires 101, 102are `connected with the solenoids 39, 39 and are also connected with a ground wire 103. i

The operation of our device is as follows: The operatorturns the milled head 1501' the milled head 16, as the oasemay be, and winds the curtain 12 from one ofthe rollers 10, 11 to the other. The` car now starts out, we will say, from the end ofthe line, the curtain at the start being `woundmainly upon the roller 10 and unwound `from the roller 11. Each successive street is provided with a `yoke 50, so that as eaclrstreet is reached, the arm 677 Ipasses beneath the contact strip G1. Whenever this occurs the contact strip7 2 engages the contact strip 61, and the followingcircuit-is thereby completed: trolley wire 55,` yoke` 56, contact strips 61, 7 2contact` pin74, contact strip 76 (see Figs. 6, 7 binding post 80, .wire 81 (see Fig. 8), wire 99, `contact button 93, switch arm 91, contact button 94, wire 98, solenoid 39, wires 102,103, to ground, thence to power house and back `to the trolley wire 55. This energizes the solenoid `39 (see Fig.2) and causes `it to draw the armature 37 downward, as above described.` This. turns the gear wheel28 slightly in a clockwise direction, accordingto Fig. 2, and the roller 22 thereupon turns in a contraclockwise direction, pulling upon the belt` 12 and` pulleys 19, 20 and belt 21, to the roller ill,

so that the roller last mentioned takes up the curtain as nnwound from the upper roller l0. This process is repeated at each intersecting street where `one of the yokes 56 is located, so that at each successive street aditi'erent street name is displayed, as will be understood `from FliO. 2.` Suppose, now, that without the car nishing its tripfor turning around, it merely proceeds backf wardly a .little idistance. In this event, it is desirable that the street names shall be `displayed ono at a time `as before, but in reverse order. The `arm 67 now makes con-` tact with one of the contact strips ,6l-as,`

strips ($1, 73, contact pin 75, contact strip 7 7, binding post 79, wire 82, wire 90, contact button 89, switch arm 87, contact a, W1re `100, solenoid 39, wire 101, wire 103, to

ground, thence to power house and back to trolley wire This energizes the solenoid 39a (instead of the solenoid 39) and byliftingthe armature 51 moves the lever 4:8 upon the shaft 50 as a center and causes the pawl 49 `to turn the ratchet wheel 47. This turns the gear e0, pinion 44, and roller 23, thereby moving the curtain in the opposite direction. Positive motion is communicated to both rollers 10, 11, as before, owing tothe action ofthe belt 21 upon the pulleys 19, 20, substantially as above described. y

No matter how far the car may travel backward, the street names are displayed in` in` verse order during the entire time of such backward travel, and as soon as the car again starts ahead, the street names areV agaln dlsplayed as when thecar was iirst` travelingin the direction in which it originally started. No matter if a car travels backward and; forward a number of times, the reversal `of the order of the street names :is accomplished autoniatically. Suppose, now, that the car .reaches the end of theline and that the curtain 12 has, of course, meanwhile been shifted so that it `is'now wound consequentlyY unwound from the top roller 10. The operator now grasps the thumb piece 84 and turns it. In so doing, he shifts the switch arm 87 from the Contact button the `contact arm 91 from the contact button 93 to the contact button 94. If, now, the carin passing along brings the contact strip 72intoengagement with the contact strip S9 to the contact button 90, and also shifts i `1z0 i principally upon the bottom rollergll and v -io fsu i 61; the following circuit is complete: trolley i Wire 55, yoke 56, contact strips 61, 72, `contact pin 7 4l (see Fig. 7 contact strip 76,

.binding post 80, wire-81, wirey 95, contact button 90, `arm 87, contact button 90a, wire 100, solenoid 39a,wires 101, 103, to ground, thence to power house and back to trolley wire IV. Again, if (dependingl upon the direction of travel of the car and the use for which it is employed) it should happen that thearm'67 is moved toward the contact strip Y611insuch mannerthat the contact strip 73 engages the contact strip 61, the following circuit `is completed: trolley wire 55, yoke 56,- contact strips 61, 73, contact pin 75 see Fig.

7), contact strip 77, binding postv 9, rwirev venience in having lthe trolley pole inclinedy in the wrong direction, lthe reversingswitch need not "be used. v

From'the foregoing descriptionit will be noted thatno matter where the car may stop,

no matter what vmay be the fdirection in which the car traveled last, and no matter whether the last movement of the 'car was forward'orbackward relativelyto any preceding movement made by the car, it alwaysv y l l happens, whenever a particular pawl 31a or 33a' isin engagement with its 'corresponding ratchet-wheel, 'the' opposite pawl is necessarilyiout of engagement with the ratchet wheel' with which it is associated. Hence, neitherof these pawls can ever obstruct the retrograde movement of the belt andthe rollers carrying it, whenever this movement is brought about by the opposite pawl.

Whenever a solenoid 39 or 39a'is energized and then denergized, all' of the mechanism Vwhich; it controls is left in such condition that the belt may readily ,be turned at its next movement in either direction.

Having thus described our invention, we claimy as newl and desire to secure by Letters Patent: i f Y 1. An' electric indicator for cars or the like, comprising a movable curtain, mechanism including a magnetic member for shift- Copies of thispatent maybe obtained for as desired. f n

3. In 'an electric indicator, the combinanl o ing said curtain, step by step in one direction, mechanism including a magnetic member for shifting said curtain step by'step in the opposite direction, atrolleypoleto be carried by the car, anarm mounted -upon said trolley pole and movable relatively to the same, contact members mounted -oppositely to each other upon said arm, separate connections from said cont-act members to said 'magnetic members for energizing said mag-l netic membersindependently, andastation-` A ary contact member along the line oftravel of the pole to be engagedby one ork the other y of said first mentioned contact r'nembeisv accordingV to the direction of travel yof the car,

2. Anfelectric indicator for cars or the like, comprising a movable curtain, mechanism including a-magnetic member for shifting'fsaid'curtain' step by step inone direction, mechanism *including `a magnetic member Vfor shifting-said curtain step bystep in the opposite direction, a trolley pole to be carried by the car, an'jarmmounted lupon said trolley pole and movable relativelytothe same, cont-actinembers mounted oppositely l to each other upon said arm, separate connections from said contact' membersito said magnetic members for energizing said mag-" netic members independently, a Fstationary contact member to be engaged by one or the other of said contact-,members according 4kto the direction of travel of the car, and a re! versing switch through whichy said separateV connectionspass,said reversing switch being controllable by hand for shifting the electric current to one magnetic member or the other,v

tionof a curtain, electro-'magneticmeans for` shifting said 'curtain in one direction,"a sec- Y ond electro-magnetic means for shiftingsaid curtain in the opposite r direction, mechanism controllable automatically L byA movements of the car for energizing the one of said electro-magnetic means or the other, acif cording to the general directionof travel of o,

said car, and a reversing switch for shiftingl theelectric current to.theoneelectro-mag4 netic means or the other, as desired.`

In testimony whereof we have signed our 311;;

names to this s pecicationin the @presence WALTER 'LEWIS ANDRE.l

Witnesses# H.. BUDEN, H l I." HANNAN.

ve centsi each, byi addressing they Commissioner kof Patents, Washington, D. 0.-

. of two subscribing witnesses. Y n

l FRANCISJOSEPIIBURNS. 

